


New Universe

by emjam



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Cookie Cat References, Crying, Family Feels, Gen, Parenthood, Post-Canon, Steven Universe Future, Together Breakfast
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 16:55:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24310180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emjam/pseuds/emjam
Summary: "'Well, the strawberries should be fine - and waffles are usually breakfast food too! The other stuff is... kinda unusual,' Greg admitted."The morning after Greg moved into the beach house.
Relationships: Crystal Gems & Greg Universe
Comments: 13
Kudos: 62





	New Universe

Once everything was moved in and awkward words with the Gems were exchanged, Steven’s old bed put Greg to sleep for _thirteen hours_. Until then, he hadn’t realized just how much of his back pain was tied up in the “sleeping on the floor of a van” part of his life. That night, despite the anxiety of living with the Gems (of all people!) as well as old garden-variety Steven anxiety, Greg slept like a baby.

When he blinked awake to the sun high and bright through the window, he almost had a heart attack until he remembered that it was Sunday, so the Car Wash was closed. What time even _was_ it? He checked the clock - noon.

“Jeez.” He chuckled. “That bed really threw me for a loop.” He climbed out and got into day clothes, taking careful care of everything he touched. He might live here now but this place would always be Steven’s to him.

“Greg? Are you awake?”

Dissonance sliced through him. Was that Pearl?

Oh jeez, was moving in even a good idea? He could’ve told Steven no. Could’ve kept staying in the van.

This was… weird. Her tone sounded so much like his mother. An odd image sprung up - any minute now, Pearl would bust the bedroom door down and march Greg to the car for wrestling practice. Suddenly, this house felt a lot smaller. He opened the door and called down, “What is it, Pearl? Do you need something?”

Pearl was standing by the toaster expectantly, and raised her head to see Greg. “Oh, Greg, come join us!”

Greg peered. Amethyst was sitting at the kitchen table housing whole cans of beans, while Garnet sat impassively.

“Uh, for what?” He asked. “Is it Gem stuff?” Wow, Ames was really going to town on those beans, aluminum and all.

Pearl raised an eyebrow. “Not unless breakfast is ‘Gem stuff,’” she teased.

“Uh. Okay.” Greg descended to the main floor and took a seat at the kitchen table. “Um. Good - uh - noon, Garnet. Hey Amethyst.”

“Sup,” Amethyst said between snake-like jaw-opening movements that allowed entire cans to enter her mouth. Yeah. Okay.

Garnet nodded. “Hello, Greg.”

Greg listlessly nodded back. “So what’re you making over there, Pearl?”

Pearl cheerfully scrutinized the timer on the toaster. “Oh, just waffles. The waffles should be done soon, actually.”

“I’ll get them.” Garnet stood and wordlessly replaced Pearl by the toaster. A _shunk_ , and six toasted waffles flew straight into her bare hands. She dispensed them onto a plate on the counter.

Pearl nodded in approval at Garnet’s work. “And now we just need whipped cream and strawberries,” she sang. The fridge thunked open and she rummaged around in it.

“And popcorn,” Garnet added.

“Popcorn? Whipped cream?” Greg blinked. “This sounds more like dessert than breakfast. Not that I’m complaining!”

Pearl’s motions wavered. “Oh, is this - not a normal breakfast?”

“Well, the strawberries should be fine - and waffles are usually breakfast food too! The other stuff is... kinda unusual,” he admitted.

Garnet looked down to the waffle meal, and then to Greg. “We apologize, Greg. This is the only breakfast we know how to make.”

“Wait. Steven ate this every day?!” Someday, Greg will actually have a heart attack and die on this very beach.

Amethyst laughed. “Oh jeez, no, this was just for special events.”

“Together breakfast,” Garnet said.

“Yeah!” Amethyst continued. “We only made it when we were all in the same place. We were like, never here in the morning so Steven usually just made his own breakfast.”

“You were _never here?”_

Garnet adjusted her glasses. “We’re worrying Greg.”

Pearl sighed and placed the can of whipped cream on the counter with a clack. “We’re sorry, Greg. Steven’s the only human we’ve lived with for so long, and today’s a special occasion - I suppose we just defaulted to making you breakfast.” She placed the plastic basket of strawberries beside the whipped cream and suddenly stopped, as if she had just realized what she was doing. “And all we know is… together breakfast.” She drooped, her thin fingers covering her mouth.

“Aw, Pearl, don’t get sad, cause then _I’ll_ get sad,” Amethyst protested with a sniff.

“Why would I be sad? Steven doesn’t even like together breakfast anymore!” Pearl explained to herself. “And it shouldn’t even matter, because Steven’s not here, so there.” She crossed her arms and started crying.

Greg stared at a crying Amethyst and Pearl. He turned to look at Garnet. Maybe her wisdom could defuse this. “Uh…”

A fountain of silent tears burst open and tracked down Garnet’s cheeks. Her voice didn’t betray a hint of emotion. “Sorry. We’re still getting over it.” She wiped at her eyes from beneath her visor.

“Um. It’s okay.” Greg deflated a little. “I am too.”

Pearl sniffed and blinked at him through one wrist rubbing at her wet eyes. “You are?”

Despite himself, Greg laughed. “Of _course_ I am! All parents feel this way when their kids leave the nest.”

“Wait -” Pearl started. “We were supposed to have a nest?”

Greg shakes his head fervently. “No, no - it’s a figure of speech! Just a phrase about children leaving home. He lived with you guys for a long time! Of course, as parents, you would still be worked up. Hell, it’s only been, what, two days since he left?”

The three Gems nodded glumly.

Amethyst covered her face with an arm. “Man, why _am_ I so worked up? I wasn’t even parenting the little dude.” She dropped her arms to the table and sighed, “Not so little anymore.”

“Hey, Amethyst, siblings have it hard too,” Greg said. “The point is, you’re a family. It’s gonna take a bit to get over someone... leaving.” He swallowed against the lump in his throat. The last time he cried in front of the Gems, it was when his hair had been cut off, and that had been extremely awkward.

Garnet’s head tilted. As always, her visor was impassable. Greg could only hope that what he said made sense to her.

“Aw, siblings.” Amethyst smiled wistfully to herself, but only for a second. She spread out her arms. “Wait, dude, what about you?”

What about him?

Greg sat back in his chair. “Well, I - what about me?”

“How are _you_ doing? He’s your kid an’ all. You gotta be cut up about it too. You're his literal dad so maybe you’re hurting like three times as much as us!”

“Oh, goodness.” Pearl clasped her hands together. “We’re so caught up in - of course you would feel terrible about this too, Greg.” She turned to look at him. It was wonderful to note no ill will in her eyes. “We didn’t mean to -”

Greg raised his own hands. “No, I’m -” he stutters. “It’s completely fine!” When was the last time he talked about his feelings to another adult that wasn’t over a game of cards or something? Yellowtail has heard way too much about Greg’s life at this point, to be honest. Pearl and him had talked that one time, sure, and they were all good now, but… that was only one time. His shoulders slumped. “Of course I’m sad about it. But it’s what he needs to do. What was I going to do, tell him no?” Absolutely not. Maybe he should have been more steadfast about certain things, but he would never deny his son something that gave Greg his life back: leaving home. The slight lump in his throat had evolved into teary eyes that he couldn’t do much about. “I’m just worried about him. All the time.”

A laugh came out of Pearl even through her tear-wrecked voice. “So am I!”

Even the corners of Garnet’s lips gently tugged upwards. “As am I.”

“Guys, I try not to show it, but you know how much I fuckin’ worry,” Amethyst sniffed with a commiserating smile.

“Language,” Pearl admonished automatically, and then caught herself. She waved a hand. “Who am I kidding, it’s not like there’s a child in the house anymore!”

“I don’t know,” Garnet played straight. “Cat Steven is still young.”

Did she just tell a joke? Greg found himself laughing along with them. Maybe this wasn’t a terrible idea after all. It was new and maybe a bit weird, but perhaps Steven was onto something. Maybe living alone in his van wasn’t the best course of action.

With a smile, Greg wiped away tears that had at some point fallen. “Where do you guys keep your popcorn? Might as well finish what we started. Don’t want those waffles to go to waste.”

“Oh, it’s in the cabinet to the left,” Pearl pointed.

His chair scraped against the floorboards. He went, grabbed a bag, and popped it in the microwave as Amethyst began to tell a story about a student of hers that reminded her of Steven. Together, they dressed the waffles with popcorn and strawberries and whipped cream and chocolate syrup. When it was done, only two people in the room would eat it.

Amethyst gladly pulled half of the stack to herself. “Ooh, gimmie.”

Greg looked down at his overflowing plate. “Pearl, Garnet, are you sure you don’t want some?”

Garnet just nodded.

“I’m sure,” Pearl affirmed. “I enjoy making the food look presentable more than actually ingesting it. Although, I did try some of Steven’s homemade Cookie Cats and they were quite tolerable!”

“Oh?” Greg’s eyebrows climbed. “You mean, Cookie Cat, a pet for your tummy? That Cookie Cat?”

“Yes, that _is_ the tagline -”

Amethyst butted in. “Cookie Cat, the one that’s super duper yummy?”

Pearl smirked. “I will only sing it once, I have you know.”

“That’s alright,” Garnet said. “Cookie Cat left his family behind.”

Everyone looked at her.

“But Steven isn’t leaving us behind. He’s merely looking forward now. This is a necessary part of his growth.” She looks down to the table. “But it is still going to be hard.”

“Growing up,” Greg smiled. “It’s one of the most difficult things to do.”

“For humans?” Pearl asked.

“For everyone. But I think you all did a pretty good job,” he said softly.

If he saw Pearl tear up, he wasn’t going to push her on it.

**Author's Note:**

> I tried so hard to find fics about how greg lives in the beach house now and I couldn't find any so I opened google docs and said "fuck it, we'll do it live"


End file.
